Hydraulic hammers can be attached to various machines such as excavators, backhoes, tool carriers, or other like machines for the purpose of breaking stone, concrete and other construction materials. The hydraulic hammer is mounted to a boom of the machine and connected to a hydraulic system. High pressure fluid is then supplied to the hammer to drive a reciprocating piston and a work tool in contact with the piston.
Hydraulic hammers when operated tend to heat up due to inefficiencies in the system. An operator of the hydraulic hammer may not be able to track the time of continuous operation of the hammer and may run the hydraulic hammer for long durations. When a hydraulic hammer is operated continuously for long duration, the temperature of the components of the hydraulic hammer and the hydraulic fluid may exceed allowable limits and the excess heat built in the system may damage the components of the hydraulic hammer. The excess heat built up may also increase clearances in the hydraulic hammer which may negatively affect overall efficiency of the system. In certain situations, an uninterrupted continuous operation of the hammer may also result in failure of the hydraulic hammer or its components, for example bushings or seal members.
Therefore, it is desired to prevent the hydraulic hammers from prolonged continuous operation and protect the hammer from damage due to continuous operation for long hours. U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,435 provides a system for stopping the hammer when the load is removed from the hammer. The '435 patent describes discloses a bypass conduit within the hammer casing that fluidly connects the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet of the hammer, and a bypass valve that closes or opens the bypass conduit based on position of the tool in the hammer. However, such system does not protect the hammer from continuous running for long durations.